The Heart Of Man

This lesson is about condition of the heart of mankind. I always found the next scripture
we are about to read troubling.

Genesis 6:5-6 &11-12 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at
his heart.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had
corrupted his way upon the earth.

It repented and grieved the Lord that He made man due to man’s behavior. The heart is
where the imagination of your thoughts resides. You know, your private and secret
thoughts, what you say to yourself all day, and how you judge and measure up people
that you meet.

Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I
will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s
heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I
have done.
The previous two scriptures have a common theme about the imagination of man’s heart
being on evil continually.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who
can know it?
10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Another translation calls the heart of man ‘exceedingly weak’ compared to deceitful and
desperately wicked. It’s a little softer, either way it’s a poor condition.

Consider what the apostle Paul wrote in our next scripture.

Romans 7:18 & 14 For I know that in me that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for
to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
14 ¶ For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

I can relate to this scripture, ‘how to perform that which is good I find not’. Why?
Because by nature. I am a liar, boaster and a thief. The first time as a young child I stole
sweets, no one had to teach me how to do it. I saw, I wanted and I took. I was sneaky
about it. To save myself from getting in trouble, I lied, no one taught me. I was born that
way. This carnal nature abides in everyone. A simple definition of sin, is ‘to know to do
good and do it not’

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed.

Have you ever heard someone say the devil made me do it? It’s a lie. There is no outside
source that makes a person do wrong as Jesus explains in our next scripture.

Mark 7:15&21-23 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile
him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy,
pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Understand this, it is a diamond, there is nothing from without a man that can defile him.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the things that separate us from God.

In the previous scripture we read ‘there is none that doeth good no not one’. Jesus
understood that as long as anyone is in this flesh the potential to fall and sin is present.
When someone called Jesus ‘Good Master’, he replied ‘why callest thou me good?’

Matthew 19:16-17 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good
thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is,
God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Jesus realized that he had the potential to fall into sin.

Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin
lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

If you do well you will be accepted, and if you do not well, then sin will rule over you.
Sin continually lies at the door of our hearts.

David echo’s this in.

Psalms 143:1-2 Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy

faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be
justified.

Romans 3:9-23 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before
proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none
that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison
of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before
God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by
the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by
the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
What is a poor soul to do?

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life

Matthew 6:19-22 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall
be full of light.

How one thinks and ones motives are important to the LORD. Where your treasure is,
will have direct influence on how your life will turn out, whether you will be happy and
have peace or whether you will have unhappiness, strife, snares and thorns in your life.

Matthew 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good
things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

So we can see the importance of keeping our hearts with all diligence. How can we do
that? A person must seek after the LORD. And find out what qualities of the heart are
pleasing to the LORD. Obtain a ‘pure heart’.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Our next scripture reveals what qualities of the heart that is pleasing to the LORD.

Psalms 15:1-5 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his
heart.
3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a
reproach against his neighbour.
4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD.
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He
that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Speaking the truth in your heart is the only way to ‘keep thy heart with all diligence’.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death.

There’s a way that seems right to a man. To live holy is not in our basic nature. And it’s
so easy to justify ourselves in the way we think, easy to make excuses for bad or foolish
behavior. Every man is right in his own eyes. Every dictator in his own eyes thought he
was doing right. People can kill others more righteous than themselves and in their minds
they are right. The people involved in the death of Christ, in their minds thought they
were doing the right thing.

Isaiah 55:7-8 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and
let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the
LORD.

The word of God is the mind of God, His judgments are found in the Book.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two
edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The word of God is a purifier the heart. The last line in that scripture is a deep dark
saying that has infinite implications. The word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.

Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth,
purified seven times.

Psalms 119:140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

In closing it’s important to have our hearts right with the LORD.

Copyright © 2010 J. Wilder & The Wilder Family Trust dated 2/13/04

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